Months after daughter was nearly shot, woman moves out of her home

Arrests made in case not enough to make her feel safe

CONVERSE, Texas – A woman moved out of her home in Converse on Friday, several months after her daughter was nearly shot and one day after police arrested two men in connection with the shooting.

"It's just been really scary, still," said the woman, who didn't want to be identified.

She lost her sense of security on July 8, when her daughter was being dropped off by friends at their home in the Northampton subdivision. Her daughter had to flee a barrage of bullets moments after police said that Dimitri Lavalais, 24, and Carlos Romero Jr., 21, were spotted lurking in some bushes in their yard.

No one was wounded in the shooting, but with no clue as to why her daughter and two other people in the car were targeted, the last eight months have been agonizing for the family.

"Watching our backs, just being very careful, just making sure we had neighbors looking out," the woman said.

Investigators said ballistics evidence from the scene led them to Lavalais and Romero. Police said the suspects and a third person, who hasn't been identified, may have been in the area to attempt a home invasion at another house when the victims got in the way.

After the shooting, the bushes where the suspects were hiding were cut down, and security lights and a motion detector were added. Even with all the changes, the woman said she still doesn't feel comfortable in her own home.

She also has a bittersweet feeling about the move.

"I've lived in this house 20 years as of today, and it's really bittersweet, but I know our time is up and it's time to move on," she said.

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About the Author:

Deven Clarke was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.
He attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he developed a passion for journalism after being asked to fill in as a sports anchor for the university's student-run news program.